


Of Bones and Band-aids

by Cheyalinn_of_Tafth



Category: Academia (Anthropomorphic), Buhay Kolehiyo, SSU, SexySexyUniversities
Genre: Hospitalized!Salle, Multi, NeoSalle - Freeform, everyday na lang yata merong ganitong ganap sa campus, i liek the cessie/neo interactions so much huhu, its like trying to babysit ur boyfriend's baby sister, tfw this is a usual thing for lasallians, that tarpaulin doe haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 13:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11578713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheyalinn_of_Tafth/pseuds/Cheyalinn_of_Tafth
Summary: Cessie sobbed, "NA-AKSIDENTE SI KUYA.” Neo couldn't help it. He started to laugh. (But a medical book's worth of injuries already went through Neo's brain.)





	Of Bones and Band-aids

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mod A](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Mod+A), [Essi_Magwayen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Essi_Magwayen/gifts), [Gwyndolyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwyndolyn/gifts).



“What a jerk,” mused Neo.

He looked at the rainbow-haired girl beside him. Cessie was sitting on the sofa at the condominium lobby, fidgeting her legs.

Neo sighed after a few moments, “Aalis na ko.”

Cessie quickly stood up and tugged at Neo's sleeve, “But Kuya Neo...”

“He's almost an hour late. Akala ko 4 p.m. yung dismissal niya.”

“Maybe he got stuck sa pila ng elev? Twelfth floor kasi yung last class niya.”

“Still. He should be here. Baka traffic na pa-north. Maybe I should just Uber.”

Cessie pouted and clapped her hands together, as if praying. “Ten minutes, Kuya Neo, please? Maybe nahirapan din siya ilabas yung car. Please?”

Neo rolled his eyes, “Fine. Ten minutes.”

Cessie grinned and plopped down the sofa. Neo looked at his wristwatch.

4:53 P.M.

“Cessie, did he even text you anything?”

“Oh,” Cessie started to fish for her phone inside her huge orange duffel. “Wait, hindi ko pa na-check. Naka-silent mode kasi ako buong araw.”

When she finally found her phone, she scrolled and scrolled and scrolled at her inbox... her face looking more grim as she did. Her finger finally stopped moving across the screen. There was nothing from Cessie. Neo started to hear the jeepney horns and the swooshing sounds from car engines outside. One of the condominium elevators pinged open. Neo could hear low murmuring from the tenants as they passed by.

Neo frowned, “Cessie?”

When the rainbow-haired girl looked up at Neo, there were unshed tears in her eyes. Her lower lip then started to tremble. Cessie shot up and hugged Neo, tears finally falling down her cheeks.

“Si Kuya!” Cessie wailed.

Neo placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, “Wait, what? Cessie, calm down.”

Cessie broke away from Neo, her hands covering the most of her face as she tried to wipe away tears, and in the process, destroying her winged eyeliner and mascara. She started to speak, but her voice cracks as she sobbed.

“Si Kuya Salle

               kanina pa raw

                            dinala sa Adventist

                   nasaemergencyroomdawsiKuyaSalle

                                                ambulance... Kuya Neo...

                 kailangantawagansinaMia

                                                   NA-AKSIDENTE SI KUYA.”

Neo couldn't help it. He started to laugh. He shook Cessie, “Hey, we both know it's a prank. He was just at school. What could seriously harm him, right? Baka tinatamad na mag-drive si mokong. I'll just get myself a taxi.”

Cessie shook her head. Neo thinks he is just wasting his time.

“Cessie, look at me.”

Cessie looked at Neo and actually whimpered. He felt bad for her. Maybe a few hours off his time studying will soothe his conscience.

“Salle should be fine. Does he look like he's easily killed? We can just call him and tell him off, okay? Ano ba sinabi niya?”

Neo quickly dialled Salle on his phone and took Cessies to view Salle's messages. Salle's phone started ringing. Neo viewed his texts.

_Cess, sori pakisabi kay Neo._

_Cess, pay Neo's taxi. I don't think I can drive him back._

_Reply pls._

_I gave them your number as emergency contact._

_Cess. Tell Neo. I'm sorry._

_Bilis pala ng ambulance. Never knew._

_Sorry, Neo. Cess, pls. Tell him._

Every text was sent within a span of a minute as Neo checked the timestamp. The operator then started talking as Salle's phone is already unattended. There were also a lot of missed calls from a local telephone line.

Medics? The hospital?

Neo tried Salle's phone again. And again. And again. Until he was left staring at his own phone screen. The number 25 in black bold font glared at him, the number of times Salle left Neo's calls unanswered.

Two gym bags packed with Salle’s clothes, three calls made and one GrabTaxi booking later, Neo and Cessie are sitting beside each other at the back seat of the taxi. Neither of them spoke. There was the occasional sniff from Cessie and the more occasional sigh from Neo. With Salle hurt, none of them could speak.

A medical book's worth of injuries already went through Neo's brain. He was no Sherlock. He has no idea what happened to him. Should he go to such lengths and ask Arem about the hazards that exists inside Salle’s campus grounds?

“I hope kuya’s okay,” prayed Cessie, tears brimming.

“I hope he’s still alive,” muttered Neo, almost like a mantra. Please be alive, Salle.

_Please._

The taxi stopped in front of the hospital’s emergency room doors. True enough, the school’s ambulance is there. So, he must be taken from the school. He must be injured inside the premises. Just what injury is bad enough? Did he fell…? Did he…? No, of course he did not jump. Someone must have pushed him down the stairs. One of the girls he is shamelessly flirting with or someone he liked to lead on? Or maybe a boyfriend of a girl who still has the guts to flirt with Salle? Maybe multiple girls? Maybe multiple boyfriends? Or was it a boy he also attracted? Maybe he just fell and hit his head because he is stupid like that.

Neo wanted to go with the last one. He needed to.

To keep himself sane.

Much to their surprise, the rest of the Katip Kids are already there, plus Tomas and Don.

Tomas waved at Neo and Cessie, “Hi, guys, saan na si Salle? Wala siya sa mga higaan eh.”

“Kararating niyo lang?” asked Neo.

“More or less, responded Mia. We were already around Makati when you guys called, eh.” Neo noticed that they are holding [this huge banner, with Salle’s picture on a sky background](http://i67.tinypic.com/mw349v.jpg). Cessie literally stomped towards them and hit Phil’s arm.

“Kuya Phil, ano ba! Nasa emergency na nga si kuya hindi niyo man lang magawang hindi maging loko-loko kahit for a while lang!”

Okay, that was when she started sobbing loudly in the middle of the emergency room as if someone just died. Maybe not. Neo hoped not.

Neo sighed and went over to Cessie, “We need to find where he is first.” Then he went over to the rest of Salle’s get-well-soon party, “Guys, please tone it down a bit?” Mia flipped her hair at this, “Hey, this is an effort to make Salle feel a bit better. Don and Tomas put this banner together in the car. We had it printed sa may Buendia. Don here, paid extra twenty pesos for rushed work.”

Neo’s stomach churned with stress from how the rest of their group is acting, and worry for Salle and his whereabouts (hopefully the nurse would not point them to the morgue). He had to do something. Cessie is trying to wipe her tears away to no avail, but she is looking at him expectantly. He decided to approach a nurse, “Miss, excuse me. Is someone named Salle Concepcion admitted here?”

“Yes, he is being treated there. Dinala siya dun one hour ago.” The nurse pointed at a small pathway leading to the main building of the hospital. Cessie followed the nurse’s arm and saw an arrow with the test “this way to” posted on the pathway wall. Beneath it, there are there signages: the accounting and billing payment hubs, the pharmacy, ICU, operating rooms, and yes, this was what Neo is so worried about, the morgue.

Having seen this, Cessie went back to bawling. Neo looked at the nurse worriedly. The nurse only smiled sadly at her direction before walking away, “I think they are going to bring back the patient here soon.”

“Thank you,” Neo followed up to the nurse, who just continued walking towards inside of the white curtains which divided every bed in the emergency room’s ward. Neo took Cessie into his arms in hopes to muffle her sobs. People are starting to stare at them, and Cessie’s bright hair and bright clothes did not help at all. The huge tarpaulin they are holding also did not help at all. It was as if they are waiting for a dead person to welcome in an airport.

Three people entered the emergency room from the hallway the nurse pointed to before. Two male nurses… and Salle.

The moron is smiling brightly.

He started to scratch his head. Cessie broke away from Neo and tackled Salle, who remained standing, not even fazed by Cessie’s weight. His eyes darted to the tarpaulin the gang was holding.

Don exclaimed a very exhausted, “Ta-da!” Neo thought that if someone was to faint and be actually hospitalized, it would be Don more than Salle.

Neo looked back at the siblings. Salle was rubbing Cessie’s back and whispering soothing words in her ear in hopes to calm her down. Neo’s heart melted and is a gooey mess at his feet. Cessie’s sobs start to subside.

“...there, there. It was not so hard, is it, Cess? Medj calm ka na. That’s great. I was not hurt much, I promise.” Neo heard Salle whisper to her sister faintly.

“Then what happened to you?” Neo heard himself ask Salle, rather harshly than he intended it to be. Maybe it was because of the lump in his throat that appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it was because of the tears of relief that was threatening to fall. May not. Maybe it was just because Salle inconvenienced everyone by having them come all the way to the hospital.

“Yeah, Neo, good luck telling yourself that,” Neo muttered under his breath.

“I got scratched by a cat,” Salle announced.

“Poor cat,” mused Tomas.

“So it was rabies? Tetanus? You gonna die?” Phil shot Salle question after question.

“Oh,” was the only thing Don and Mia managed to say.

“Where’s the injury?” Cessie asked her brother.

Salle raised her right hand. A red line spanning an inch marred the back of his hand.

“I tried petting Archer today. He was not very kind to me. He must be hungry. Don’t worry, I got rabies shots,” Salle is grinning as he said all this. Neo frowned. They heard Mappy yawn. The green archer then pulled down at his jacket, exposing his muscled left arm.

Salle tried to look at his own arm to no avail, “Look at the band-aid they put on me after the shot. It’s shaped like a bone. It’s so cute.”

Neo stepped forward. He walked until he faced Salle. Grabbing him by his left shoulder, Neo pulled Salle down, who yelped as Neo put pressure on his newly vaccinated arm, and pressure of Neo’s lips on his.

“Pakyu,” Neo, still clutching the clothes-filled gym back he meticulously packed a while ago, turned his back on Salle, who stood there red-faced. He started walking towards the exit of the emergency room, “Salle, ihahatid mo pa ‘ko.”

**Author's Note:**

> just one request: please right-click the tarpaulin design link if you haven't yet haha (worth it po)
> 
> huhu sorry ang ikli
> 
> ANYWAY HAHAHA THIS IS A PROMPT FOR MY S.O. and myself (?) bcos i havent been writing the past 2 weeks =(( promise, promise its gonna be a Mapua/Bxdx material soon.....ish huhu pray for me on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/quakeroatkeeper)
> 
> /pramis focus na ko sa main ko soon/
> 
> love lots,  
> cheya
> 
> p.s. i may re-upload the eagle cement thing once im done editing it haha =)))


End file.
